Maxiseller
macrumors 6502a
Firstly, I'm going to do all calculations and costs in british pounds so you'll have to excuse that;
The record industry is at a low at the moment. So many millions of people are downloading tracks illegally it's untrue - and it's not because tracks are overpriced - it's just because we can get them for free elsewhere. Who should pay for a track when they can get it free right? Incidentally, I use "we" here because I too admit to downloading tracks for free - but this is not a good thing and it is genuinely screwing up the music business.
Here in the UK, 79p a track is what it costs us. It's a lot cheaper elsewhere. Factor in the pehnominal overhead costs of the massive record companies, artists royalies (bear in mind, artists will typically receive only 15% after packaging deductions and that's after they've paid off any advances - which is monies companies give artists to go ahead and make the tracks) So, you're looking at around 10p to the artist IF they sell over 200,000 copies or whatever they need to pay off their advance and the record companies get around 65p. Thats 65p, but then take off 200,000 (VERY rough figures but none the less entirely plausable) for recording costs, advertising, music videos (now less frequent) legal costs etc. They're not earning a lot.
It's unfair to just stick the blame on the big companies. Indeed, one user suggested that we all "ignore" these companies records and simply not buy off them, but that is next to impossible as all the "independent" companies are mostly owned by larger organizations to gain more freedom anyway!
All in all, everyone in here who downloads illegal music is to blame for the problems we're seeing here in record companies trying to screw apple for more profit. Who can blame them when around 50% of distribution is free music, and only a handful of copies are being shifted in stores accross the world. It's a sad thing to think that music production is being slowed. Record companies simply don't have the risk factor to take on hundreds of new artists anymore and ironically, this is where the majority of their revenue comes from (in being famous and carrying on the life of new artists replacing old). What we could see unless P2P applications like Limewire are banished well and truly, is a complete shutdown in record production, and endless releases of a new Destinys Child compilation album. Who wants this?
Pay up. I deleted my entire library of illegal downloads and started afresh. It's still legal to rip my CD's and so Ive still got a nice volume of tracks. I think downloadable music is certainly the way to go, and Apple has the most stable platform but in truth, I think we should be charged more. Singles after all are £3 here in the UK, and so 79p a track to me, an artist and composer myself, is a bargain. After all, don't the folks who record your music deserve 10p for your lifelong enjoyment? Give them a break.
The record industry is at a low at the moment. So many millions of people are downloading tracks illegally it's untrue - and it's not because tracks are overpriced - it's just because we can get them for free elsewhere. Who should pay for a track when they can get it free right? Incidentally, I use "we" here because I too admit to downloading tracks for free - but this is not a good thing and it is genuinely screwing up the music business.
Here in the UK, 79p a track is what it costs us. It's a lot cheaper elsewhere. Factor in the pehnominal overhead costs of the massive record companies, artists royalies (bear in mind, artists will typically receive only 15% after packaging deductions and that's after they've paid off any advances - which is monies companies give artists to go ahead and make the tracks) So, you're looking at around 10p to the artist IF they sell over 200,000 copies or whatever they need to pay off their advance and the record companies get around 65p. Thats 65p, but then take off 200,000 (VERY rough figures but none the less entirely plausable) for recording costs, advertising, music videos (now less frequent) legal costs etc. They're not earning a lot.
It's unfair to just stick the blame on the big companies. Indeed, one user suggested that we all "ignore" these companies records and simply not buy off them, but that is next to impossible as all the "independent" companies are mostly owned by larger organizations to gain more freedom anyway!
All in all, everyone in here who downloads illegal music is to blame for the problems we're seeing here in record companies trying to screw apple for more profit. Who can blame them when around 50% of distribution is free music, and only a handful of copies are being shifted in stores accross the world. It's a sad thing to think that music production is being slowed. Record companies simply don't have the risk factor to take on hundreds of new artists anymore and ironically, this is where the majority of their revenue comes from (in being famous and carrying on the life of new artists replacing old). What we could see unless P2P applications like Limewire are banished well and truly, is a complete shutdown in record production, and endless releases of a new Destinys Child compilation album. Who wants this?
Pay up. I deleted my entire library of illegal downloads and started afresh. It's still legal to rip my CD's and so Ive still got a nice volume of tracks. I think downloadable music is certainly the way to go, and Apple has the most stable platform but in truth, I think we should be charged more. Singles after all are £3 here in the UK, and so 79p a track to me, an artist and composer myself, is a bargain. After all, don't the folks who record your music deserve 10p for your lifelong enjoyment? Give them a break.
